Notes: This form of capital punishment still occurs today in countries like Afghanistan, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Somalia according to Wikipedia. It is related to a host of words, like lapidary "a gem cutter", lapidation "stone-throwing", and lapidator "stone-thrower". It is also related to the fascinating word lapicide "stone-cutter", not the expected "stone-killer". The combining form -cide comes from the verb cædere "to cut, kill", but is rarely used in the sense of "cut".

In Play: This word is seldom used except in the literal sense: "Muslims who participate in the pilgrimage to Mecca each year perform a ritual Stoning of the Devil." However, we may use it when metaphorically referring to the most horrendous forms of execution: "Phil Anders should be lapidated by her entire family for what he did to June McBride."

Word History: Today's Good Word comes to us directly from lapidatus, the past participle of lapidare "to stone" which, in turn, comes from lapis "a stone". It is related to Greek lepas "crag", but we don't find evidence of it in any other Indo-European language before Greek and Latin. We do know that Latin lapis went on to become Portuguese lápis, Italian lapis, and Spanish lápiz, all of which mean "pencil". This brings us to dilapidated, a combination of Latin dis- "asunder" + lapidare "to throw stones at". So the original meaning of dilapidated was in a state of disrepair as though stoned (in the old sense of the word).

I thought it odd that the example sentence that was supposed to demonstrate "lapidate's" literal usage didn't use the word at all. I would like to know how it would be used in this sentence. Would the word,"stoning", be replaced by lapidation?
[quote: This word is seldom used except in the literal sense: "Muslims who participate in the pilgrimage to Mecca each year perform a ritual Stoning of the Devil." ][/quote]

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God

Hi back, Philip Hudson. And thank you for the welcome. I've been enjoying the word-of-the-day for months but this was my first successful forum post. I usually read the word-of-the-day on my iphone and trying to post on the forum requires navigating a lot of very tiny print on the phone screen. My previous attempts left me wanting to lapidate my phone! Today, I decided to attempt it from my computer - much easier.

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God

I and my editors completely missed my use of stoning rather than lapidate in the examples. I have repaired it now in the archives to: "Muslims who participate in the pilgrimage to Mecca each year perform a ritual in which they symbolically lapidate the Devil." I apologize for the oversight.

Thanks for the inclusion of the word dilapidate. Interesting to think it means to break asunder as if by stoning. In Chile, where I learned to speak Spanish, they use the Spanish word lápiz to mean both pencils AND pens. I thought it was interesting they would use the same word for both types of writing instruments. The writing part of a pencil (referred to as the lead) is actually graphite (not lead), a soft stone or carbon. Now I understand why the Spanish word for pencil comes from a word that means stone. Thanks!

Be who you are and say what you feel in your heart. Because those that matter, don't mind. And those that mind, don't matter.

Dr. Goodword wrote:I and my editors completely missed my use of stoning rather than lapidate in the examples. I have repaired it now in the archives to: "Muslims who participate in the pilgrimage to Mecca each year perform a ritual in which they symbolically lapidate the Devil." I apologize for the oversight.

Apology accepted by all and sundry, I imagine. Lapses and all, the Doc rocks!

Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.

bamaboy56
I'm not fluent in Spanish, just a little Tex-Mex. In formal Spanish as well as in Tex Mex, a writing pen is called a pluma. This comes from the word feather. In English, a writing pen was once a quill. I haven't heard the use of lápiz for a writing pen.

Philip Hudson wrote:bamaboy56I'm not fluent in Spanish, just a little Tex-Mex. In formal Spanish as well as in Tex Mex, a writing pen is called a pluma. This comes from the word feather. In English, a writing pen was once a quill. I haven't heard the use of lápiz for a writing pen.

That is interesting, because neither had I, with the little
Spanish I have.

I learned lápiz for "pencil" in Spanish classes in school, but have never heard it in speech, probably because people don't generally carry pencils with them. In fact, a coworker of Dominican background, when speaking to a Spaniard on the telephone, reacted to the word lápiz as though it were Klingon, she was so unused to it. (Though it could also have been the speaker's Castilian propriety, since the "colonials" relax the language rules somewhat. ) And the Peruvian couple I used to rent a room from used lapicero for "pen."

Last edited by misterdoe on Fri Apr 13, 2012 12:41 am, edited 1 time in total.